Articles: James Earl Obama? James Earl Obama? By Paul Kengor In one of numerous infamous moments during a disastrous presidency, President Jimmy Carter, in December 1978, was asked by reporters if he thought the Shah of Iran would survive the crisis that threatened to give birth to history's worst theocratic-terrorist-Islamist state. "I don't know," offered Carter. "I hope so. This is something that is in the hands of the people of Iran. We have never had any intention and don't have any intention of trying to intercede in the internal political affairs of Iran. We personally prefer that the Shah maintain a major role in the government, but that's a decision for the Iranian people to make." This statement of stunning passivity and ambiguity set off an earthquake. It was a fatal vote of no confidence in the Shah from the most important country in the world, from Iran's top ally, and from the Shah's longtime protector and benefactor. Iranians placed enormous stock in Uncle Sam's statements, and the American president had made it clear that the Shah's fate was no longer in America's hands. The situation was an Iranian "internal affair." America should not meddle.

It would be only weeks after that Carter statement that the Shah was finished, and Iran became a global nightmare. I've thought of that moment often since Iran erupted a few weeks ago, and still continues to reverberate, even as America's news media has turned to higher priorities, like Michael Jackson. I registered my own vote of no confidence: in President Obama's initial responses to the historic opportunity in Iran, which were eerily reminiscent of President Carter. After first saying nothing, Obama did worse when he issued a jaw-dropping, Carter-like appraisal on June 15: "[W]e respect Iranian sovereignty and want to avoid the United States being the issue inside of Iran." The leader of the free world didn't want to meddle in Iran's internal affairs. In this publication, I blasted President Obama for this inexcusable response to the Iranian freedom fighters, which was precisely the wrong approach. To be fair, Obama, since then, has responded with much stronger rhetoric. This was clearly the result of sharp criticism from all sides, including some liberals.

It was telling when even CNN, on the morning of June 22, led with a spot-on swipe at Obama by Congressman Mike Pence (R-IN), who trenchantly observed that when President Reagan stood in front of the Brandenburg Gate, he didn't say, "Mr. Gorbachev, this wall is none of our business." CNN followed the Pence clip with an interview with a Democratic Party activist who wrote a critical piece on Obama for the Huffington Post. Amid that negative reaction, there were two new polls (Gallup and Rasmussen), conducted during the Iran crisis, that showed notable declines in Obama's approval rating. The House of Representatives manned up in a way that Obama refused, passing a resolution supporting the Iranian freedom fighters by a margin of 405 to 1, and only after Democratic leaders had worked with the Obama White House to tone down the resolution . The pressure on the American president -- with the entire world begging him to stand for American principles -- mounted dramatically as footage rolled from Iran of beatings and shootings in the capital, including the cold-blooded execution of the woman known as "Neda." Suddenly, in a blatant political turnabout suggestive of the soulless Bill Clinton more than the principled George W.

Bush, Barack Obama turned on a dime and progressively ratcheted up his response to Iran's theocrat-terrorists. The man who had first stood silent, and then stood aside Italy's leader on June 15 and muttered, "we respect Iranian sovereignty and want to avoid the United States being the issue inside of Iran," or who had stood beside South Korea's leader on June 16 and expressed his fears of American "meddling" in Iran, had transformed into a critic. By June 26, a stoic Obama suddenly stood aside Germany's leader and condemned the "outrageous" "brutality" and "ruthlessness" and "violence" of the mullahs, against the "extraordinary bravery and extraordinary courage" of the "Iranian people." Obama had made quite a change, from what Ralph Peters aptly described as "silent complicity" (June 18) to, alas, openly stating that he was "appalled and outraged" at the Iranian leadership (June 23). So, kudos to President Obama for reevaluating mid-course, for whatever reason or motivation, and adopting a truly American approach to this cry for liberty. We must give credit where credit is due.

That said, Obama's handling of this crisis reveals some serious problems and questions going forward: First and foremost, Obama hasn't cloaked his rhetoric in any sort of understanding of the American ideal or the inspiring Reagan concept of a March of Freedom that was invoked by George W. Bush . Rather than anchoring his worldview in the vision of the American Founders, Obama echoes a bland U.N.-speak about the "desires of the international community" and "universal norms" (June 26). That's not necessarily bad, on the face of it, but it reveals him as more the modern globalist -- an empty cupboard -- than the inheritor of the torch of freedom carried from Thomas Paine and Thomas Jefferson to the presidents who won the 20th century. It is America, not the United Nations and European Union, that has been the force for good -- for freedom. In short, I fear that Obama still doesn't get it. Second, as noted, Obama undoubtedly reacted primarily to criticism of his depressingly weak support of the Iranian people; he reacted to politics, and opinion polls, and popular sentiment, more than principle.

While that's better than nothing, it is merely short-term improvement, even window-dressing, and does nothing for the crucial long haul. Indeed, tapping freedom's potential in Iran is a long-term prospect, as Reagan did with Poland, or as Bush has hopefully achieved in Iraq. Think about this: In Poland, martial law was declared in December 1981, and Reagan reacted very strongly, very swiftly right away. Equally significant, however, he followed up with a sustained effort that lasted eight years, until finally freedom was unleashed the year Reagan left the presidency, with free and fair elections taking place in Poland in June 1989 -- the precursor to the fall of the Berlin Wall only months later. Likewise, the increasing stability in Iraq in 2009 comes only after George W. Bush's obviously intense undertaking beginning in 2002. If Obama really cares about advancing liberty in Iran, about carrying the March of Freedom throughout the Middle East, then he will follow his improved rhetoric with a concerted commitment -- overt and covert -- to help produce the fruits of liberty. Judging by what I've seen thus far, I'm skeptical.

We need a president who gets this in the gut, who doesn't need to learn these things on the job, when it's usually too late, and who doesn't -- like Jimmy Carter -- make embarrassing mistake after mistake. We need someone who understands what it means to lead the free world. Paul Kengor is professor of political science at Grove City College. His recent books include The Judge: William P. Clark, Ronald Reagan's Top Hand and The Crusader: Ronald Reagan and the Fall of Communism . In one of numerous infamous moments during a disastrous presidency, President Jimmy Carter, in December 1978, was asked by reporters if he thought the Shah of Iran would survive the crisis that threatened to give birth to history's worst theocratic-terrorist-Islamist state. "I don't know," offered Carter. "I hope so. This is something that is in the hands of the people of Iran. We have never had any intention and don't have any intention of trying to intercede in the internal political affairs of Iran. We personally prefer that the Shah maintain a major role in the government, but that's a decision for the Iranian people to make." This statement of stunning passivity and ambiguity set off an earthquake.

It was a fatal vote of no confidence in the Shah from the most important country in the world, from Iran's top ally, and from the Shah's longtime protector and benefactor. Iranians placed enormous stock in Uncle Sam's statements, and the American president had made it clear that the Shah's fate was no longer in America's hands. The situation was an Iranian "internal affair." America should not meddle. It would be only weeks after that Carter statement that the Shah was finished, and Iran became a global nightmare. I've thought of that moment often since Iran erupted a few weeks ago, and still continues to reverberate, even as America's news media has turned to higher priorities, like Michael Jackson. I registered my own vote of no confidence: in President Obama's initial responses to the historic opportunity in Iran, which were eerily reminiscent of President Carter. After first saying nothing, Obama did worse when he issued a jaw-dropping, Carter-like appraisal on June 15: "[W]e respect Iranian sovereignty and want to avoid the United States being the issue inside of Iran." The leader of the free world didn't want to meddle in Iran's internal affairs.

In this publication, I blasted President Obama for this inexcusable response to the Iranian freedom fighters, which was precisely the wrong approach. To be fair, Obama, since then, has responded with much stronger rhetoric. This was clearly the result of sharp criticism from all sides, including some liberals. It was telling when even CNN, on the morning of June 22, led with a spot-on swipe at Obama by Congressman Mike Pence (R-IN), who trenchantly observed that when President Reagan stood in front of the Brandenburg Gate, he didn't say, "Mr. Gorbachev, this wall is none of our business." CNN followed the Pence clip with an interview with a Democratic Party activist who wrote a critical piece on Obama for the Huffington Post. Amid that negative reaction, there were two new polls (Gallup and Rasmussen), conducted during the Iran crisis, that showed notable declines in Obama's approval rating. The House of Representatives manned up in a way that Obama refused, passing a resolution supporting the Iranian freedom fighters by a margin of 405 to 1, and only after Democratic leaders had worked with the Obama White House to tone down the resolution .

The pressure on the American president -- with the entire world begging him to stand for American principles -- mounted dramatically as footage rolled from Iran of beatings and shootings in the capital, including the cold-blooded execution of the woman known as "Neda." Suddenly, in a blatant political turnabout suggestive of the soulless Bill Clinton more than the principled George W. Bush, Barack Obama turned on a dime and progressively ratcheted up his response to Iran's theocrat-terrorists. The man who had first stood silent, and then stood aside Italy's leader on June 15 and muttered, "we respect Iranian sovereignty and want to avoid the United States being the issue inside of Iran," or who had stood beside South Korea's leader on June 16 and expressed his fears of American "meddling" in Iran, had transformed into a critic.

By June 26, a stoic Obama suddenly stood aside Germany's leader and condemned the "outrageous" "brutality" and "ruthlessness" and "violence" of the mullahs, against the "extraordinary bravery and extraordinary courage" of the "Iranian people." Obama had made quite a change, from what Ralph Peters aptly described as "silent complicity" (June 18) to, alas, openly stating that he was "appalled and outraged" at the Iranian leadership (June 23). So, kudos to President Obama for reevaluating mid-course, for whatever reason or motivation, and adopting a truly American approach to this cry for liberty. We must give credit where credit is due. That said, Obama's handling of this crisis reveals some serious problems and questions going forward: First and foremost, Obama hasn't cloaked his rhetoric in any sort of understanding of the American ideal or the inspiring Reagan concept of a March of Freedom that was invoked by George W. Bush .

Rather than anchoring his worldview in the vision of the American Founders, Obama echoes a bland U.N.-speak about the "desires of the international community" and "universal norms" (June 26). That's not necessarily bad, on the face of it, but it reveals him as more the modern globalist -- an empty cupboard -- than the inheritor of the torch of freedom carried from Thomas Paine and Thomas Jefferson to the presidents who won the 20th century. It is America, not the United Nations and European Union, that has been the force for good -- for freedom. In short, I fear that Obama still doesn't get it. Second, as noted, Obama undoubtedly reacted primarily to criticism of his depressingly weak support of the Iranian people; he reacted to politics, and opinion polls, and popular sentiment, more than principle. While that's better than nothing, it is merely short-term improvement, even window-dressing, and does nothing for the crucial long haul. Indeed, tapping freedom's potential in Iran is a long-term prospect, as Reagan did with Poland, or as Bush has hopefully achieved in Iraq.

Think about this: In Poland, martial law was declared in December 1981, and Reagan reacted very strongly, very swiftly right away. Equally significant, however, he followed up with a sustained effort that lasted eight years, until finally freedom was unleashed the year Reagan left the presidency, with free and fair elections taking place in Poland in June 1989 -- the precursor to the fall of the Berlin Wall only months later. Likewise, the increasing stability in Iraq in 2009 comes only after George W. Bush's obviously intense undertaking beginning in 2002. If Obama really cares about advancing liberty in Iran, about carrying the March of Freedom throughout the Middle East, then he will follow his improved rhetoric with a concerted commitment -- overt and covert -- to help produce the fruits of liberty. Judging by what I've seen thus far, I'm skeptical. We need a president who gets this in the gut, who doesn't need to learn these things on the job, when it's usually too late, and who doesn't -- like Jimmy Carter -- make embarrassing mistake after mistake. We need someone who understands what it means to lead the free world.

James Carter | whitehouse.gov Air Force One James Carter Jimmy Carter served as the 39th President of the United States from 1977 to 1981. He was awarded the 2002 Nobel Peace Prize for work to find peaceful solutions to international conflicts, to advance democracy and human rights, and to promote economic and social development. Jimmy Carter aspired to make Government "competent and compassionate," responsive to the American people and their expectations. His achievements were notable, but in an era of rising energy costs, mounting inflation, and continuing tensions, it was impossible for his administration to meet these high expectations. Carter, who has rarely used his full name--James Earl Carter, Jr.--was born October 1, 1924, in Plains, Georgia. Peanut farming, talk of politics, and devotion to the Baptist faith were mainstays of his upbringing. Upon graduation in 1946 from the Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, Carter married Rosalynn Smith. The Carters have three sons, John William (Jack), James Earl III (Chip), Donnel Jeffrey (Jeff), and a daughter, Amy Lynn.

After seven years' service as a naval officer, Carter returned to Plains. In 1962 he entered state politics, and eight years later he was elected Governor of Georgia. Among the new young southern governors, he attracted attention by emphasizing ecology, efficiency in government, and the removal of racial barriers. Carter announced his candidacy for President in December 1974 and began a two-year campaign that gradually gained momentum. At the Democratic Convention, he was nominated on the first ballot. He chose Senator Walter F. Mondale of Minnesota as his running mate. Carter campaigned hard against President Gerald R. Ford, debating with him three times. Carter won by 297 electoral votes to 241 for Ford. Carter worked hard to combat the continuing economic woes of inflation and unemployment. By the end of his administration, he could claim an increase of nearly eight million jobs and a decrease in the budget deficit, measured in percentage of the gross national product. Unfortunately, inflation and interest rates were at near record highs, and efforts to reduce them caused a short recession. Carter could point to a number of achievements in domestic affairs.

He dealt with the energy shortage by establishing a national energy policy and by decontrolling domestic petroleum prices to stimulate production. He prompted Government efficiency through civil service reform and proceeded with deregulation of the trucking and airline industries. He sought to improve the environment. His expansion of the national park system included protection of 103 million acres of Alaskan lands. To increase human and social services, he created the Department of Education, bolstered the Social Security system, and appointed record numbers of women, blacks, and Hispanics to Government jobs. In foreign affairs, Carter set his own style. His championing of human rights was coldly received by the Soviet Union and some other nations. In the Middle East, through the Camp David agreement of 1978, he helped bring amity between Egypt and Israel. He succeeded in obtaining ratification of the Panama Canal treaties. Building upon the work of predecessors, he established full diplomatic relations with the People's Republic of China and completed negotiation of the SALT II nuclear limitation treaty with the Soviet Union. There were serious setbacks, however. The Soviet invasion of Afghanistan caused the suspension of plans for ratification of the SALT II pact. The seizure as hostages of the U. S.

embassy staff in Iran dominated the news during the last 14 months of the administration. The consequences of Iran's holding Americans captive, together with continuing inflation at home, contributed to Carter's defeat in 1980. Even then, he continued the difficult negotiations over the hostages. Iran finally released the 52 Americans the same day Carter left office. The Presidential biographies on WhiteHouse.gov are from “The Presidents of the United States of America,” by Frank Freidel and Hugh Sidey. Copyright 2006 by the White House Historical Association. For more information about President Carter, please visit American Presidents-Republican & Democrat, James Earl "Jimmy" Carter Relive some of our best stories. American Presidents-Republican & Democrat, James Earl "Jimmy" Carter James Earl "Jimmy" Carter, Jr. (born October 1, 1924) is an American politician who served as the 39th President of the United States (1977�1981) and was the recipient of the 2002 Nobel Peace Prize, the only U.S. President to have received the Prize after leaving office.

Before he became President, Carter served two terms as a Georgia State Senator and one as Governor of Georgia (1971�1975),[2] and was a peanut farmer and naval officer.As President, Carter created two new cabinet-level departments: the Department of Energy and the Department of Education. He established a national energy policy that included conservation, price control, and new technology. In foreign affairs, Carter pursued the Camp David Accords, the Panama Canal Treaties, the second round of Strategic Arms Limitation Talks (SALT II), and returned the Panama Canal Zone to Panama. Throughout his career, Carter strongly emphasized human rights. He took office during a period of international stagflation, which persisted throughout his term. The end of his presidential tenure was marked by the 1979�1981 Iran hostage crisis, the 1979 energy crisis, the Three Mile Island nuclear accident, the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan (at the end of 1979), and the 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens. By 1980, Carter's popularity had eroded.

He survived a primary challenge against Ted Kennedy for the Democratic Party nomination in the 1980 election, but lost the election to Republican candidate Ronald Reagan. On January 20, 1981, minutes after Carter's term in office ended, the 52 U.S. captives held at the U.S. embassy in Iran were released, ending the 444-day Iran hostage crisis.[3] After leaving office, Carter and his wife Rosalynn founded the Carter Center in 1982,[4] a nongovernmental, not-for-profit organization that works to advance human rights. He has traveled extensively to conduct peace negotiations, observe elections, and advance disease prevention and eradication in developing nations. Carter is a key figure in the Habitat for Humanity project, and also remains particularly vocal on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. After high school, Carter enrolled at Georgia Southwestern College, in Americus. Later, he applied to the United States Naval Academy and, after taking additional mathematics courses at Georgia Tech, he was admitted in 1943. Carter graduated 59th out of 820 midshipmen at the Naval Academy.

From a young age, Carter showed a deep commitment to Christianity, serving as a Sunday School teacher throughout his life. Even as President, Carter prayed several times a day, and professed that Jesus Christ was the driving force in his life.

Carter had been greatly influenced by a sermon he had heard as a young man, called, "If you were arrested for being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict you?" Names of Presidents and First Ladies President's and First Ladies' Names Alphabetically Presidents' First Names Presidents' Middle Names Presidents' Last Names First Ladies' First Names First Ladies' Maiden names Abraham Abram Adams x 2 Abigail Appleton Andrew Alan Arthur Anna x 3 Bouvier Andrew Baines Buchanan Barbara Carow Benjamin Birchard Bush x 2 Caroline Childress Calvin Clark Carter Claudia "Lady Bird" Custis Chester David Cleveland Dolly Davis Dwight Delano Clinton Edith x 2 Dent Franklin x 2 Earl Coolidge Eleanor x 2 deWolf George x 3 Fitzgerald Eisenhower Eliza Doud Gerald Gamaliel Fillmore Elizabeth "Bess" Fulsom Grover Henry Ford Elizabeth "Betty" Galt Harry Herbert Walker Garfield Elizabeth "Eliza" Gardiner Herbert Howard Grant Ellen Goodhew James x 5 Jefferson Harding Florence Henry John x 4 Knox Harrison x 2 Frances Herndon Lyndon Milhous Hayes Hannah Herron Martin Quincy Hoover Helen Hoes Millard Rudolph Jackson Hillary Johnson Richard S Jefferson Ida Kortright Ronald Simpson

 Johnson x 2 Jacqueline McCardle Rutherford Walker Kennedy Jane Pierce Theodore Wilson Lincoln Julia x 2 Powers Thomas Madison Laura Robards Ulysses McKinley Lou Rodham Warren Monroe Louisa Roosevelt William x 4 Nixon Lucretia Rudolph Woodrow Pierce Lucy Ryan Zachary Polk Margaret Saxton Reagan Martha x 2 Scott Roosevelt x 2 Mary Skelton Taft Mary "Mamie" Smith x 3 Taylor Nancy Symmes Truman Rachel Taylor Tyler Rosalynn Todd x 2 VanBuren Sarah Wallace Washington Thelma "Patricia" Warren Wilson Webb Welch Jimmy Carter National Historic Site--Presidents: A Discover Our Shared Heritage Travel Itinerary Jimmy Carter National Historic Site Georgia Boyhood Farm Outbuildings National Park Service “The early years of my life on the farm were full and enjoyable, isolated but not lonely.

We always had enough to eat, no economic hardship, but no money to waste. We felt close to nature, close to members of our family, and close to God.” - Jimmy Carter Jimmy Carter, 39th president of the United States and Nobel Peace Prize Laureate, still makes his home in Plains, the small Georgia farm town where he was born. As he did during his presidency, he returns to his roots here for rejuvenation while continuing his work as humanitarian and peace seeker. The Jimmy Carter National Historic Site in Plains includes the farm where he spent his boyhood, the Plains High School he attended, and the train depot that served as headquarters for his 1976 presidential campaign. Although he came to office after a brilliantly run political campaign, Carter distrusted politics. He relied on the strong moral convictions that he learned in Plains to help him find actions that would best benefit the whole country regardless of political party. He made considerable progress toward his goal of making government “competent and compassionate” during his single term but could not overcome energy crises, record inflation, and international conflict.

Earl and Lillian Carter National Park Service Born in 1924 in Plains, James Earl "Jimmy" Carter, Jr., was the first of Earl and Lillian Carter’s four children. When he was four years old, the Carter family moved to a farm in the small community of Archery, two and one-half miles away. The Jimmy Carter Boyhood Farm is part of the National Historic Site. The day the family moved to the farm was memorable. Earl Carter had forgotten the key and Jimmy crawled through a window to unlock the front door. Although the house used fireplaces and wood stoves for heat and had no indoor plumbing or electricity, it was a typical middle class rural dwelling for the 1920s. Earl Carter raised cotton, corn, and sugar cane with the aid of tenant farmers and was one of the first in the area to experiment with growing peanuts. He also sold canned goods, coffee, kerosene, overalls, and a large variety of other useful items in the country store/commissary near the house. Jimmy and his African American playmates helped in the fields, and Jimmy sold bags of boiled peanuts on the streets of “metropolitan” Plains for a nickel.

His parents raised their children to value education, community service, the Baptist Church, and each other. Jimmy Carter lived on the farm until he went away to college in 1941. Carter attended the Plains High School from first grade through his graduation in 1941. He quoted Miss Julia Coleman, one of his teachers and an intellectual and cultural inspiration to him, in his presidential inaugural address. After graduation, he attended Georgia Southwestern College and Georgia Tech University briefly before receiving an appointment to the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis. He came home to marry Rosalynn Smith on July 7, 1946 in the Plains United Methodist Church. He served in the Navy for seven years following his graduation from the Naval Academy, resigning his commission in 1953 to take over the family peanut business after his father died. His income of $200 that first year was so low that he qualified to move into a low-income housing project in Plains. He and Rosalynn lived there for a year but soon turned the Golden Peanut Company into a successful production and processing business.

Following his father’s example, Jimmy Carter became involved in civic, church, and fraternal affairs, but refused to join the local segregationist White Citizens' Council. A lifelong Democrat, Carter entered the political arena in 1962. After a strenuous contest, he won a seat in the State senate and held it for two terms. He showed special interest in education and election reform. Carter abandoned plans to run for the United States House of Representatives to seek the governorship in 1966. Although he failed on his first attempt, he succeeded four years later. During his term as governor, he reorganized the State government, worked for conservation, and attracted national attention as a moderate on civil rights. The Plains Depot 1976 Presidential Campaign Headquarters National Park Service Carter’s decision to leap from governor to presidential candidate was a bold one. In a cross-country grassroots campaign, he gained support from a public looking for change after the scandals that had shaken the nation. His surprise success in the Iowa Democratic caucus began a phenomenal rise that confounded the political experts who thought his quest was hopeless.

The downtown Plains train depot, which served the Seaboard Coast Line Railroad from 1888 to 1951, became Carter’s local campaign headquarters. Approximately 10,000 people a day came to Plains to find out about this unknown candidate, and Carter’s friends and neighbors gathered outside the depot to celebrate his many successes in State primaries. The Democratic National Convention made Carter their presidential nominee on the first ballot. The depot, now a museum, was again the site of a celebration on his election as president in November 1976. Carter defeated incumbent Gerald Ford by a relatively narrow but conclusive margin in both popular and electoral votes. He is the first president from Georgia and the first elected directly from the Deep South since Zachary Taylor in 1848. Dramatizing his break with tradition, Carter and his family walked hand in hand down Pennsylvania Avenue after his inauguration at the Capitol, to the cheers of the watching crowds. As President Carter took office, he stressed his plans to fight “stagflation” by both stimulating the economy and attacking inflation. He succeeded in adding millions of new jobs and reducing the budget deficit but could not control inflation, which reached record rates.

He developed new policies to fight the energy shortage, expanded civil service reform, and sought to protect the environment. He appointed record numbers of women, African Americans, and Hispanics to government jobs and strengthened the Social Security system. In 1977, Carter pardoned young men who evaded the draft during the Vietnam War. This controversial decision, combined with his unwillingness to work within the traditional party system, brought him into conflict with Congress. In foreign policy, his support for human rights complicated his negotiations with the Soviet Union and other foreign states. His greatest success was the Camp David accords of 1978, which brought about a rapprochement between Israel and Egypt and a reduction of tensions in the Middle East. His greatest failure was his inability to free the American Embassy staff members taken hostage by the new Islamic regime in Iran. The 14-month long hostage crisis, plus the continuing ruinous inflation, led to his defeat by Ronald Reagan in 1980. He continued to negotiate with Iran after his defeat, however, and obtained the release of the hostages hours before the end of his term. He and his wife flew to Germany to greet them.

Nobel Peace acceptance Plains, Georgia National Park Service Retiring from public office, Jimmy Carter returned to Plains. He continues to work as a humanitarian with the Carter Center and Habitat for Humanity, participates in Middle East peace negotiations, and has written several books. In 2002, Jimmy Carter received the Nobel Peace Prize for his "decades of untiring efforts to find peaceful solution to international conflicts, to advance democracy and human rights, and to promote economic and social development." The Jimmy Carter National Historic Site consists of three parts. The Plains High School serves as the park visitor center and museum. Visitors find a restored and furnished classroom, principal's office, and auditorium, and exhibits on Carter’s life and accomplishments. His friends, neighbors, and family talk about the Jimmy Carter they know on a 25-minute video. The Plains Depot is a self-guided museum with exhibits focusing on the 1976 presidential campaign. The Jimmy Carter Boyhood Farm, two and half miles from downtown Plains, offers an intimate look at Carter’s childhood. The National Park Service has restored the Carter house to its appearance before the installation of electricity in 1938.

Other restored features include the commissary/country store, the barn, the blacksmith shop, two tenant houses, a buggy shed, and a windmill. Heritage crops of cotton, peanuts, sugar cane, and corn grow in the fields and the gardens still provide vegetables for the table. Visitors can hear Jimmy Carter share stories about his childhood at audio stations along a walking path around the farm. The Jimmy Carter Preservation District includes a number of other buildings in Plains that are associated with the peanut farmer turned president. Jimmy Carter was born at the Lillian G. Carter Nursing Center, the first president born in a hospital. Visitors can see the public housing where Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter lived for a year. Ghost stories shroud the 1850 house they rented from 1956 to 1961. Family members lie buried in the Lebanon Cemetery on the road to the Boyhood Farm. Jimmy Carter still teaches Sunday school at the Maranatha Baptist Church, when he is in town. Plan your visit The Jimmy Carter National Historic Site, a unit of the National Park System, is located in Plains, GA, 10 miles west of Americus on US 280.

It is free to the public. The historic site is open daily except on New Year's Day, Thanksgiving and Christmas Day. Visits should begin at the Plains High School at 300 North Bond St., which houses the park's visitor center and museum. The Plains High School Visitor Center and Museum is open from 9:00am to 5:00 pm. The Train Depot Museum is open from 9:00am to 4:30pm. The Jimmy Carter Boyhood Farm is open from 10:00am to 5:00pm. Walking tours of the farm are led on Saturdays and Sundays at 11:30am and 3:30pm. The Carter Private Residence and Compound is not open to the public. For more information, visit the National Park Service Jimmy Carter National Historic Site website or call 229-824-4104. Jimmy Carter Genealogical Information Jimmy Carter Genealogical Information Brother and Sisters of President Carter ANCESTRY OF PRESIDENT CARTER Jimmy Carter is a Georgian with deep roots in his native state, being the seventh generation Carter to live in Georgia.

The information detailed here is taken from an article in Georgia Life (Winter, 1976, pp. 40 ff.) by Kenneth H. Thomas. Kindred Carter Kindred Carter (c. 1750-1800) came to Georgia from the Bertie-Edgecombe-Hertford area of northeastern North Carolina where his family had lived for several generations. He was of the 5th generation in descent from Thomas Carter, Sr. who came in 1637 from England to Isle of Wight County, Virginia. Thomas Carter's only known child was Thomas, Jr., who married Magdalene Moore and left a will in 1710. In that will, Thomas, Jr. did not name all of his children, but Moore Carter (c. 1680-1741) who married Jane and moved to Bertie County, North Carolina, is believed to have been his son. Moore left a will naming a son Isaac who married Ruth and died after 1790. Isaac and Ruth were the parents of Kindred and James, among others. Kindred and James both came to Georgia.

Kindred Carter settled in Richmond County, on the frontier of the new state, along Little Germany creek. This land is now part of McDuffie County, approximately 35 miles west of Augusta, Georgia. At his death in 1800, his estate listed four heirs: James, b. 1773 in North Carolina Henry Martha James Carter (1773-1858) James Carter married Eleanor "Nellie" Duckworth in 1798 in Columbia County, Georgia. She was a daughter of Jeremiah and Christianna Ramsey Duckworth of Warren and Columbia Counties. The Carters moved permanently to Warren County c. 1815, where they lived along White's Creek on a 500 acre plantation, approximately four miles NW of Thomson, Georgia. Around 1835 James moved to Talbot County to join his brother Jesse and lived in the SW part of the county near Upatoi Creek. It was here that he owned land at the time of his death in Schley County at the plantation of his son Wiley. James had been a cotton planter and a Baptist. James and Nellie Carter had 9 children: Wiley, b.

1798 Marina "Rina" (b. 1809, m. 1832) Keziah (1805-1855) James D. (d. 1854) Wiley Carter (1798-1864) Wiley Carter married Ann Ansley in 1821 in Warren County. She was the daughter of Abel and Lydia Morris Ansley, and a granddaughter of Thomas and Rebecca Ansley and Job and Mary Ansley Morris. The Ansleys lived in Warren County. Wiley Carter sold his land in Warren County on Rocky Comfort Creek, near Gibson, in 1851 and moved permanently to his plantation in Schley County in Southeast Georgia, 20 miles north of Plains. The home, known today as the "Battle Place" is located, along with the family cemetery, on the Ellaville-Friendship Road (Georgia Highway 153) at its intersection with Georgia Highway 45. It was here that Wiley Carter, farmer, planter, and Baptist, was buried when he died at the age of 66.

His plantation contained 2400 acres in both Schley and Sumter Counties and produced 147 bales of cotton in 1860. Wiley's first wife, Ann, died c. 1848, and he remarried Mrs. Sarah Wilson, widow, of Newton County in 1849. Wiley and Ann Carter had eleven children: Armanda (m. 1838) [ Top ] Littleberry Walker Carter (1832-1874) In 1851 Littleberry Walker Carter married Mary Ann Diligent Seals (c.1838-c. 1874) in Warren County, Georgia. She was the daughter of William A. (b. 1814) and Eliza Harris (b. 1815) Seals of Warren County. In the mid 1850s the Carters and Seals lived in that part of Warren County that became Glascock in 1857 and it was there that William A. Seals died in 1860, and his widow in 1886. Littleberry and Mary Ann moved c. 1860 to Sumter Co.

near his father's plantation. He served in the American Civil War in Captain Cutts Sumter County Flying Artillery, serving in Virginia. Littleberry was a farmer and was buried on his farm at the time of his death at the age of 42. Littleberry and Mary Ann had four children: Jeremiah Calvin (1855-1925) Jeanette (1904-1984) James Earl Carter (1894-1953) James Earl Carter married Lillian Gordy in 1923. He was an insurance broker, farmer, fertilizer dealer, Baptist and Democrat. A veteran of World War I, he served on the County Board of Education and was a state representative in his first term when he died at the age of 59. The couple had four children: James Earl "Jimmy" Carter, Jr. (b. October 1, 1924) Gloria (Mrs. Walter G. Spann)(b. October 22, 1926, d. March 5, 1990) Ruth (Mrs. Robert T. Stapleton)(b. August 7, 1929, d.

September 26, 1983) William Alton "Billy" (b. March 29, 1937, d. September 25, 1988) James Earl "Jimmy" Carter, Jr. (b. 1924) Jimmy Carter married Eleanor Rosalynn Smith (b. August 18, 1927) on July 7, 1946. They have four children: Jimmy Carter Jimmy Carter 39th President of the United States and Founder of The Carter Center Jimmy Carter (James Earl Carter, Jr.), thirty-ninth president of the United States, was born October 1, 1924, in the small farming town of Plains, Georgia, and grew up in the nearby community of Archery. His father, James Earl Carter, Sr., was a farmer and businessman; his mother, Lillian Gordy Carter, a registered nurse. He was educated in the public school of Plains, attended Georgia Southwestern College and the Georgia Institute of Technology, and received a B.S. degree from the United States Naval Academy in 1946.

In the Navy he became a submariner, serving in both the Atlantic and Pacific fleets and rising to the rank of lieutenant. Chosen by Admiral Hyman Rickover for the nuclear submarine program, he was assigned to Schenectady, New York, where he took graduate work at Union College in reactor technology and nuclear physics, and served as senior officer of the pre-commissioning crew of the Seawolf, the second nuclear submarine. On July 7, 1946, he married Rosalynn Smith of Plains. When his father died in 1953, he resigned his naval commission and returned with his family to Georgia. He took over the Carter farms, and he and Rosalynn operated Carter's Warehouse, a general-purpose seed and farm supply company in Plains. He quickly became a leader of the community, serving on county boards supervising education, the hospital authority, and the library. In 1962 he won election to the Georgia Senate. He lost his first gubernatorial campaign in 1966, but won the next election, becoming Georgia's 76th governor on January 12, 1971.

He was the Democratic National Committee campaign chairman for the 1974 congressional and gubernatorial elections. President Jimmy Carter On December 12, 1974, he announced his candidacy for president of the United States. He won his party's nomination on the first ballot at the 1976 Democratic National Convention, and was elected president on November 2, 1976. Jimmy Carter served as president from January 20, 1977 to January 20, 1981. Significant foreign policy accomplishments of his administration included the Panama Canal treaties, the Camp David Accords, the treaty of peace between Egypt and Israel, the SALT II treaty with the Soviet Union, and the establishment of U.S. diplomatic relations with the People's Republic of China. He championed human rights throughout the world. On the domestic side, the administration's achievements included a comprehensive energy program conducted by a new Department of Energy; deregulation in energy, transportation, communications, and finance; major educational programs under a new Department of Education; and major environmental protection legislation, including the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act. Books & Accomplishments Mr.

Carter is the author of twenty-nine books, many of which are now in revised editions: Why Not the Best?

1975, 1996; A Government as Good as Its People, 1977, 1996; Keeping Faith: Memoirs of a President, 1982, 1995; Negotiation: The Alternative to Hostility, 1984, 2003; The Blood of Abraham: Insights into the Middle East, 1985, 1993, 2007; Everything to Gain: Making the Most of the Rest of Your Life, written with Rosalynn Carter, 1987, 1995; An Outdoor Journal: Adventures and Reflections, 1988, 1994; Turning Point: A Candidate, a State, and a Nation Come of Age, 1992; Talking Peace: A Vision for the Next Generation, 1993, 1995; Always a Reckoning, and other Poems, 1995; The Little Baby Snoogle-Fleejer, illustrated by Amy Carter, 1995; Living Faith, 1996; Sources of Strength: Meditations on Scripture for a

 Living Faith, 1997; The Virtues of Aging, 1998; An Hour before Daylight: Memories of a Rural Boyhood, 2001; Christmas in Plains: Memories, 2001; The Nobel Peace Prize Lecture, 2002; The Hornet's Nest: A Novel of the Revolutionary War, 2003; Sharing Good Times, 2004; Our Endangered Values: America's Moral Crisis, 2005; Palestine Peace Not Apartheid, 2006, 2007; Beyond the White House: Waging Peace, Fighting Disease, Building Hope, 2007; A Remarkable Mother, 2008; We Can Have Peace in the Holy Land: A Plan That Will Work, 2009; White House Diary, 2010; Through the Year with Jimmy Carter: 366 Daily Meditations from the 39th President, 2011; as general editor, NIV Lessons from the Life Bible: Personal Reflections with Jimmy Carter, 2012; A Call to Action: Women, Religion, Violence, and

 Power, 2014; and A Full Life: Reflections at Ninety, 2015.

The Carter Center In 1982, he became University Distinguished Professor at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia, and founded The Carter Center. Actively guided by President Carter, the nonpartisan and nonprofit Center addresses national and international issues of public policy. Carter Center staff and associates join with President Carter in efforts to resolve conflict, promote democracy, protect human rights, and prevent disease and other afflictions. The Center has spearheaded the international effort to eradicate Guinea worm disease, which is poised to be the second human disease in history to be eradicated. President Carter and The Carter Center have engaged in conflict mediation in Ethiopia and Eritrea (1989), North Korea (1994), Liberia (1994), Haiti (1994), Bosnia (1994), Sudan (1995), the Great Lakes region of Africa (1995-96), Sudan and Uganda (1999), Venezuela (2002-2003), Nepal (2004-2008), Ecuador and Colombia (2008), and the Middle East (2003-present).

Under his leadership The Carter Center has sent one hundred election-observation missions to the Americas, Africa, and Asia. These include Panama (1989), Nicaragua (1990), China (1997), Nigeria (1998), Indonesia (1999), East Timor (1999), Mexico (2000), Guatemala (2003), Venezuela (2004), Ethiopia (2005), Liberia (2005), the Democratic Republic of the Congo (2006), Nepal (2008), Lebanon (2009), Sudan (2010), Tunisia (2011), Egypt (2011-2012), Kenya (2013), Mozambique (2014), and Guyana (2015). The permanent facilities of The Carter Presidential Center were dedicated in October 1986, and include the Jimmy Carter Library and Museum, administered by the National Archives. Also open to visitors is the Jimmy Carter National Historic Site in Plains, administered by the National Park Service.

Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter volunteer one week a year for Habitat for Humanity, a nonprofit organization that helps needy people in the United States and in other countries renovate and build homes for themselves. Since 2007, President Carter also has served as a member of The Elders, a group of independent global leaders. He teaches Sunday school and is a deacon in the Maranatha Baptist Church of Plains. For recreation, he enjoys fly-fishing, woodworking, and swimming. The Carters have three sons, one daughter, nine grandsons, three granddaughters, four great-grandsons, and six great-granddaughters. On December 10, 2002, the Norwegian Nobel Committee awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for 2002 to Mr. Carter "for his decades of untiring effort to find peaceful solutions to international conflicts, to advance democracy and human rights, and to promote economic and social development." Related Resources

Question: Which American President had the forenames James Earl?
Answer: CARTER